Snowden report: CIA tried hacking Apple devices for years

A man is silhouetted near logos of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and Wikipedia in this photo illustration taken in Sarajevo March 11, 2015. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

An undated aerial handout photo shows the National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters building in Fort Meade, Maryland. NSA/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks following a meeting with his National Security Council at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia April 13, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 02: Detail of the cufflinks of former Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell as he testifies before the House Select Intelligence Committee April 2, 2014 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony on the topic of 'The Benghazi Talking Points and Michael J. Morell's Role in Shaping the Administration's Narrative.' (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 02: Former Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell is sworn in prior to testimony before the House Select Intelligence Committee April 2, 2014 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony on the topic of 'The Benghazi Talking Points and Michael J. Morell's Role in Shaping the Administration's Narrative.' (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

A picture taken on February 25, 2015 shows the logo of Gemalto in Paris. European SIM maker Gemalto said it had suffered hacking attacks that may have been conducted by US and British intelligence agencies but denied any 'massive theft' of encryption keys that could be used to spy on conversations. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD (Photo credit should read KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)

Visitors gather in the Gemalto NV pavilion at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. The Mobile World Congress, where 1,500 exhibitors converge to discuss the future of wireless communication, is a global showcase for the mobile technology industry and runs from Feb. 25 through Feb. 28. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Gemalto CEO Olivier Piou (C) arrives for a press conference on February 25, 2015 in Paris. European SIM maker Gemalto said it had suffered hacking attacks that may have been conducted by US and British intelligence agencies but denied any 'massive theft' of encryption keys that could be used to spy on conversations. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD (Photo credit should read KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)

Gemalto CEO Olivier Piou (C) gives a press conference on February 25, 2015 in Paris. European SIM maker Gemalto said it had suffered hacking attacks that may have been conducted by US and British intelligence agencies but denied any 'massive theft' of encryption keys that could be used to spy on conversations. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD (Photo credit should read KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)

Gemalto CEO Olivier Piou shows a cell phone sim card before a press conference on February 25, 2015 in Paris. European SIM maker Gemalto said it had suffered hacking attacks that may have been conducted by US and British intelligence agencies but denied any 'massive theft' of encryption keys that could be used to spy on conversations. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD (Photo credit should read KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)

BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 29: Symbolic photo for data protection, reflection of the seal of the National Security Agency in a computer hard drive on January 29, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)

Michael Rogers, director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), speaks during an interview in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. The hacking attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment is prompting U.S. officials to rethink when the government should help private companies defend against and deter digital assaults, Rogers said. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Visitors chat near a reception desk at the Gemalto NV promotional stand on the opening day of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, Feb. 27, 2012. The Mobile World Congress, operated by the GSMA, expects 60,000 visitors and 1400 companies to attend the four-day technology industry event which runs Feb. 27 through March 1. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

An employee displays a Gemalto NV M2M quad sim card at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. The Mobile World Congress, where 1,500 exhibitors converge to discuss the future of wireless communication, is a global showcase for the mobile technology industry and runs from Feb. 25 through Feb. 28. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

GERMANY, BONN - DECEMBER 12:Â Symbol photo of a computer hard drive with the logo of the National Security Agency (NSA), on December 12, 2014 in Bonn, Germany. (Photo by Ulrich Baumgarten via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 20: Adm. Michael Rogers, commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, testifies during a hearing before the House (Select) Intelligence Committee November 20, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on 'Cybersecurity Threats: The Way Forward.' (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The CIA has spent years trying to break the security of Apple devices.

A report in The Intercept Tuesday, which cites documents from Edward Snowden, details an annual conference called Jamboree, where intelligence researchers shared ways to get into Apple's walled garden, and get data out.

These included a customized version of Apple's Xcode development software, which the report indicates could be used to insert back doors or extract encryption keys from other applications, or force them to send data to a third-party server.

Another tool could install keyloggers through update tools for Apple's desktop OS.

It's not clear from the report how the CIA would get developers to use the "poisoned" versions of these tools, or if it was ever successful in breaking into an Apple device.

But this is some of the most significant evidence yet to show Intelligence officials are worried about trends toward default encryption.

"Only the user knows the security code. Apple and Google say they can't break that code. Neither can police, even with a court order," CBS' Bob Orr said.

FBI director James Comey has fittingly called it the "going dark" problem.

"Those charged with protecting our people aren't always able to access the evidence we need to prosecute crime and prevent terrorism even with lawful authority," Comey said at a Brookings Institution conference last year.

The other side to that coin: by trying to address the issue with their own backdoor tools, intelligence agencies alienate Silicon Valley. This latest development is only expected to increase that tension.

Apple didn't comment on this story specifically, but it might not need to. As news of backdoor surveillance broke, Tim cook wrote a standing letter detailing Apple's security policies:

"I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services."